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'Ultimate seaview' wins maritime charity prize

5 September 2017

Winners in a UK-wide photography competition organised by the Shipwrecked Mariners' Society and supported by Nautilus have been announced after a 'challenging' process to judge a record number of more than 1,300 entries.

Overall winner of the 'Ultimate Sea View' competition was amateur photographer William Pollard, whose image 'Beams' captured the lighthouse at St Abb's Head shining into the North Sea. It landed him a £500 prize voucher for photographic equipment.

In addition to the overall prize, winners were also named in four categories:

The winners were selected from a shortlist whittled down to just over 100 photographs and judged by picture editors from The i and the Sunday Times, the editor of Amateur Photographer, and Shipwrecked Mariners' Society chief executive Commodore Malcolm Williams.

Commodore Williams commented:

The competition raises awareness of us as a charity and what we can do for people facing financial hardship, as well as celebrating our enduring relationship with the sea.
Shipwrecked Mariners' Society chief executive, Commodore Malcolm Williams

The Society has produced a special video of the judging process.

'In the last 12 months, we've distributed £1.4m in over 2,000 cases and it is vital we continue to receive fantastic support from the public to enable us to continue to help those in need.'

Amateur Photographer editor Nigel Atherton added: 'We were blessed with some really fantastic entries this year, with a series of captivating, technically accomplished and emotive shots ending up on the shortlist. Of the few years I've enjoyed judging this competition, this was certainly the most difficult. It's so pleasing to see so many talented photographers submit their images in support of the charity's crucial work.'